Bill Text: CA AB475 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Student athletes: scholarships.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-03 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB475 Detail]

Download: California-2013-AB475-Introduced.html

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BILL NUMBER: AB 475	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Brown

                        FEBRUARY 19, 2013

   An act to amend Section 52379 of the Education Code, relating to
pupil counseling.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 475, as introduced, Brown. Pupil counseling: supplemental
school counseling.
   Existing law establishes the Middle and High School Supplemental
Counseling Program, and requires the governing board of a school
district that maintains any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive, as a
condition of receiving funds appropriated for purposes of that
program, to adopt a counseling program at a public meeting that
includes, among other things, a provision for a counselor to meet
with each pupil to explain the academic and deportment records of the
pupil, his or her educational options, the coursework and academic
progress needed for satisfactory completion of middle or high school,
and the availability of career guidance activities. Funds
appropriated in the annual Budget Act for the purposes of the program
are required to be allocated to school districts based on an equal
amount per pupil enrolled in the district in the prior fiscal year
based on the fall California Basic Educational Data System enrollment
data in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, with certain minimum-grant
exceptions.
   This bill, instead, would require the appropriation to be
allocated based on the needs of pupils as indicated by the number of
pupils who failed either section of the high school exit examination
in the most recent grade 10 administration of that examination, and
would require the allocation to be calculated pro rata based on the
number of pupils who failed either section of the high school exit
examination in the most recent grade 10 administration of that
examination, with certain minimum-grant exceptions. The bill would
require school districts receiving funding under this program to
provide matching funds on a one-to-one basis.
   The bill would specify duties authorized to be performed by a
counselor position funded under this program.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (1) California ranks 50th among the 50 states in
counselor-to-pupil ratio with a ratio of one counselor per 954
pupils.
   (2) Studies have revealed that pupils who met with a school
counselor several times during the school year to discuss college
were much more likely to attend a four-year postsecondary educational
institution.
   (3) School counselors are integral figures in ensuring college
readiness and meeting high school graduation requirements because
they counsel pupils into appropriate classes.
   (4) School counselors are integral to the total educational
program. They provide proactive leadership that engages all
stakeholders in the delivery of programs and services to help pupils
achieve success in school. Professional school counselors align with
the mission of the school to support the academic achievement of all
pupils as they prepare for the ever-changing world of the 21st
century. This mission is accomplished through the design,
development, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive,
developmental, and systematic school counseling program.
   (5) California's overall high school graduation rate is
approximately 71 percent with the graduation rates for African
American and Latino pupils even lower, 60 percent for Latino pupils
and 56.6 percent for African American pupils.
   (b) It is therefore the intent of the Legislature to increase the
number of credentialed school counselors in high schools in the
bottom 25 percent of the state in academic performance, so that each
qualifying high school would receive one counselor position dedicated
to work with pupils on preparing them to obtain a degree at an
institution of higher education or a certificate at a technical
institution.
  SEC. 2.  Section 52379 of the Education Code is amended to read:
   52379.  (a) Funds appropriated in the annual Budget Act for
 the  purposes of this chapter shall be allocated to
school districts based on  an equal amount per pupil
enrolled in the district in the prior fiscal year,   the
needs of pupils as indicated by the number of pupils who failed
either section of the high school exit examination in the most recent
grade 10 administration of that examination. Allocation to school
districts shall be calculated pro rata  based on the 
fall California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS) enrollment
data, in grades 7 to 12, inclusive,   number of pupils
who failed either section of the high school exit examination in the
most recent grade 10 administration of that examination,  with
the following minimum-grant exceptions:
   (1) Five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each schoolsite that has
100 or fewer pupils enrolled in any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive.
   (2) Ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each schoolsite that has at
least 101, but not more than 200, pupils enrolled in any of grades 7
to 12, inclusive.
   (3) Thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) or an amount per pupil
enrolled, whichever is greater, for each schoolsite with more than
200 pupils enrolled in any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive. 
   (b) (1) In order to be eligible to receive funding under this
section, a high school is required to rank among the lowest 25
percent of high schools in the state with respect to the percentage
of its pupils who failed either section of the high school exit
examination in the most recent grade 10 administration of that
examination. A school district with a high school or high schools
that are receiving funding under this section shall provide matching
funds in order to fully fund the counselor position, including, but
not necessarily limited to, matching funds, on a one-to-one basis,
for the provision of salary and benefits and to defray other
necessary program expenses.  
   (2) A participating high school shall receive one counselor
position dedicated to work with pupils on preparing them to obtain a
degree at an institution of higher education or a certificate at a
technical institution. A counselor position funded under this program
shall not be used in the regular rotation of counselors at the
participating high school. A counselor position funded under this
program is authorized to provide, but is not necessarily limited to,
all of the following services:  
   (A) Working with pupils, in conjunction with faculty and staff,
college and university recruiters, and community-based personnel, to
provide pupils and their families with college preparation workshops.
 
   (B) Providing one-on-one college preparatory advising.  
   (C) Conducting college application workshops, which may include,
but are not necessarily limited to, discussion of high school
graduation requirements, the "a-g" courses required for admission to
the University of California and other institutions of higher
education, college entrance requirements, and how to read a
transcript.  
   (D) Conducting financial aid workshops, which may include, but are
not necessarily limited to, helping pupils and their families to
understand what types of financial aid are available for colleges,
discussion of financial aid programs, such as the Cal Grant and Cash
for College programs, the process of applying for financial aid, and
how to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
 
   (E) Conducting family information workshops, which may include,
but are not necessarily limited to, discussions with families about
how to help their children at each grade level to prepare for and
stay on track for college. The goal of these workshops would be to
help families understand higher education options, the college
application process, and college entrance examination requirements.
 
   (F) Conducting university and college campus visits for pupils.
 
   (G) Working with outside outreach and recruitment programs,
including, but not necessarily limited to, the California Student
Opportunity Access Program (Cal-SOAP), the Early Academic Outreach
Program (EAOP), and University of California and California State
University outreach programs.  
   (H) Assisting pupils and their families in filling out and
submitting grade-point average information release forms for the Cal
Grant Program.  
   (c) A school district that received funding under the program in
the first 2006-07 grant cycle may continue to receive funds in future
years to maintain counseling programs at the 2006-07 first cycle
funding level if the district meets all other conditions of the
program.  
   (b) 
    (   d)  Funds allocated pursuant to this
section shall supplement, and not supplant, expenditures made by a
school district for school counseling programs. 
   (c) 
    (   e)  For purposes of this section, a charter
school is not eligible to receive a minimum grant but instead shall
receive an amount per pupil enrolled in grades 7 to 12, inclusive.

   (d) 
    (   f)  Funds appropriated in the annual Budget
Act for  the  purposes of this chapter shall be
used to provide supplemental counseling services delivered by
personnel who hold a valid pupil personnel services credential.